by Cassidy White

The Clackamas Community College Harmony Campus has a new art gallery open to the public.

According to Sunny Olsen, Director of Community Education and Harmony Campus, the gallery will feature a new exhibit every term.

This fall’s exhibit is comprised of Community Ed students’ work, and winter term will display the best of fall CCC art students. This spring, the gallery will display the work of a local artist and former instructor, Kjirsten Severson, and this summer term will display artwork that the Harmony Campus staff has put together.

The art gallery was funded by a mini-grant, which are grants awarded through a competitive process managed by a Foundation Board Committee.

Greg Fitzgerald, executive director of the Clackamas Community College Foundation, said in an email that the art gallery won the minigrant because, “The Committee was intrigued by a couple aspects of the Harmony Art Project; first, they saw it as a way to encourage community members and neighbors to come on campus and explore. A similar gallery on the Wilsonville campus, funded by a grant from the Ford Foundation, draws significant numbers of community members to view the works presented.”

He added, “The gallery as attractor was a big motivator for the Committee approving funding.”

Linda Carlile, Enrollment Services Specialist, pointed out that although the gallery wasn’t created with the intent to sell artwork, those interested may purchase artwork displayed in the gallery.

Harmony staff do not give out the artists’ personal information, but interested buyers may leave their contact info for an artist.

“The pieces are so good that folks were asking to buy them from the minute the gallery opened,” Fitzgerald said. “What a boost for the artists who are showing their work.”

Melissa Padron, the Community Education Coordinator, mentioned that the inspiration behind the gallery was not only to display the hard work of the Community Ed classes, but to make the public aware that they actually offer Community Ed classes.

A list of Community Ed classes are available at the back of the CCC catalog.

The art gallery is open during normal business hours: MondayThursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

If you are interested in having your artwork featured in the art gallery next year, contact Sunny Olsen at sunnyo@clackamas.edu

photo by Cassidy White